Sky Ace: 3D plane shooter game, online free
Sky Ace is a free 3D plane shooter you can play online in any browser, in the style of the Famicom classic Sky Destroyer. Fly a little fighter plane seen from behind, shoot down fighters, aces and bombers, bomb convoys of ships on a sparkling ocean and attack a huge battleship, island fortress, carrier or airship at the end of every scene. Six scenes from dawn to moonlight make one loop; fly the 1 Loop + 1 Scene marathon, go Endless or try the Daily sortie, with free leaderboards and 25 badges. The smooth 3D vector graphics are drawn live in your browser.
How to play Sky Ace
- Pick a mission: 1 Loop + 1 Scene, Endless or the Daily sortie.
- Steer your plane with the arrow keys, the mouse or the on-screen joystick.
- Fire with Space, the mouse button or the FIRE button; line up the sight with an enemy plane.
- Bomb the ships on the sea with B or the BOMB button when the ring on the water turns green.
- Dodge the red enemy shots and shoot golden planes for power-ups.
- When the waves are over, destroy every glowing target on the boss before it escapes.
- Clear the scene for a bonus and fly on to the next one.
Your guns fire straight ahead, so you aim by flying. Two rings in front of your plane show where your shots go: put an enemy inside a ring and fire. Enemy shots are glowing red balls; move out of their way. A plane that flies into you is as bad as a shot, unless your shield is on.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard and mouse | Phone and tablet |
|---|---|---|
| Steer | Arrow keys or W A S D, or move the mouse | Joystick (right side; swap in Settings) |
| Fire | Space, J, K or Z, or hold the left mouse button | FIRE button (hold to keep firing) |
| Bomb | B, X or Shift, or the right mouse button | BOMB button |
| Pause | Esc or P | Pause button |
Up on the keys or stick moves your plane up. Pilots who like a real flight stick can turn on Pilot controls in Settings to swap up and down.
Scenes and bosses
| Scene | Sky | Boss | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dawn Patrol | Sunrise over the sea | Ironclad Battleship | 4 gun turrets and the bridge |
| 2. Morning Raid | Bright morning | Island Fortress | 5 anti-aircraft guns and the radar |
| 3. High Noon | Midday sun, turquoise sea | Pirate Carrier | 4 guns and the control tower; it launches fighters |
| 4. Cloud Sea | Thick white clouds | Sky Fortress Airship | 4 engines and the gondola cannon |
| 5. Sunset Strike | Golden sunset | Dreadnought | 6 turrets and the bridge |
| 6. Moonlight Run | Moon and stars | Mega Dreadnought | 7 turrets, the bridge and the radar |
Every boss has a timer of 40 seconds once it is in range. Destroy all of its targets for the scene bonus; if time runs out, it escapes and you fly on without the bonus. After scene 6 the loop starts again, with faster planes, more shots and tougher bosses.
Enemies
| Enemy | Points | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Fighter | 100 | Flies in V or line formations, crosses your path or overtakes you from behind |
| 💜 Ace | 200 | Corkscrews towards you and needs two hits |
| 🛩️ Bomber | 300 | Big and tough; fires bursts of three shots |
| 🚤 Patrol boat | 300 | Small and fast; one bomb sinks it; it shoots at you |
| 🚢 Cargo ship | 400 | Slow, carries colourful containers; needs two bombs |
| ⚓ Destroyer | 600 | Armed with guns that fire at you; needs two bombs |
| ✨ Golden fighter | 100 | Drops a power-up when you shoot it down |
| 🎯 Boss target | 500 or 1,000 | Turrets, guns and engines fire at you; the bridge, tower or radar is worth double |
Bombing ships
Every few waves a convoy of ships sails on the sea below you. Your guns fire straight ahead, so only bombs can sink them. A bomb is thrown forward and falls in an arc; the ring on the water shows where the next one will land and turns green when it will hit a ship (it allows for the ship's speed). Fly low for a short, accurate drop. You can have two bombs in the air at once. Bombs also wreck turrets and guns on the decks of the battleships, the carrier and the island fortress, with triple damage.
Power-ups
| Power-up | Effect |
|---|---|
| 🔴 P | Gun power: rapid fire, then spread guns that cover more sky |
| 🔵 S | A shield that takes one hit (up to 12 seconds) |
Each power-up is worth 500 points. You also get an extra life every 40,000 points. Losing a life costs one gun level, so fly carefully when you are fully powered.
Modes
1 Loop + 1 Scene is the marathon run: the six scenes of loop 1 and then the first scene of loop 2, seven scenes in all. Finish fast for a time bonus of up to 12,000 points (20 points for every second under 11 minutes). Endless goes on loop after loop, faster each time, until your last life. The Daily sortie is three scenes picked for the day, with the same waves for every player. The Journey is a map campaign with 12 stops. The difficulty builds gradually: the first scene and the first Journey stops are gentle, with slower planes, fewer and less accurate shots and no aces at first, and every scene after that gets a little faster and fiercer.
Journey mode: the map
Journey turns Sky Ace into a trip across a chart of islands. Open the mission button, pick Journey and tap a stop on the map. Every stop is one scene with its own boss, and you start it with three fresh lives. Clear a stop to unlock the next one along the route, from Coral Bay in the south-west to the Skull Fortress in the north-east.
Each stop pays up to three stars. You get one star for destroying the boss, a second star for the stop's bonus goal (sink a number of ships with bombs, or shoot down a number of planes) and a third star for finishing without losing a life. The first six stops go through the six scenes from dawn to moonlight; stops 7 to 12 fly them again, faster and fiercer. You can replay any cleared stop to win more stars, and your progress is saved on this device. Journey scores are not ranked on the leaderboard, so the stars are your own goal: 36 for the perfect trip.
Leaderboards
Sky Ace has one free leaderboard with two lists: This month and All time. Each pilot appears once, with their best score, and games from Marathon, Endless and Daily count (the Journey is played for stars). Your score is made of planes shot down (100 to 300 points), ships sunk (300 to 600), boss targets (500 or 1,000), power-ups (500), scene bonuses (3,000, plus 1,000 for a scene without losing a life) and the marathon time bonus. Open the medal button and pick Leaderboards to see them; you only choose a nickname if you want to join.
Badges
There are 28 badges for shooting down planes, clearing stops on the Journey map, beating each boss, finishing a loop and the marathon, perfect scenes, sinking ships, big scores, Endless runs and daily sorties. Open the medal button in the game to see your progress.
| Badge | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| ✈️ First Victory | Shoot down your first enemy plane. |
| 🎖️ Flying Ace | Shoot down 25 planes in one game. |
| 🏅 Squadron Leader | Shoot down 100 enemy planes. |
| 👑 Sky Legend | Shoot down 1,000 enemy planes. |
| 💣 Bomber Buster | Shoot down 25 bombers. |
| ✨ Gold Rush | Shoot down 10 golden planes. |
| ⚓ Ship Sinker | Sink the Ironclad Battleship. |
| 🏝️ Fortress Breaker | Destroy the Island Fortress. |
| 🛳️ Deck Sweeper | Sink the Pirate Carrier. |
| 🎈 Zeppelin Popper | Bring down the Sky Fortress Airship. |
| 🌅 Sunset Hero | Sink the Dreadnought. |
| 🌙 Moonlight Victor | Sink the Mega Dreadnought. |
| 🔁 One Full Loop | Clear all six scenes in one game. |
| 🏁 Marathon Pilot | Finish 1 Loop + 1 Scene. |
| ⚡ Speed Run | Finish 1 Loop + 1 Scene in under 10 minutes. |
| 😎 Untouchable | Clear a scene without losing a life. |
| 🔫 Full Power | Power your guns up to the top level. |
| 🚢 Bombardier | Sink 25 ships with bombs. |
| 🎯 Sharpshooter | Destroy 100 targets on bosses. |
| 🥉 20,000 Points | Score 20,000 in one game. |
| 🥈 60,000 Points | Score 60,000 in one game. |
| 🥇 150,000 Points | Score 150,000 in one game. |
| ♾️ Long Haul | Reach scene 10 in Endless. |
| ☀️ Week of Sorties | Fly the Daily sortie on 7 different days. |
| 🗺️ Island Hopper | Clear 6 stops on the Journey map. |
| 🏴☠️ Skull Breaker | Clear all 12 stops and take the Skull Fortress. |
| 🌟 Perfect Journey | Earn 3 stars on all 12 stops of the Journey. |
| 🪂 Veteran Pilot | Play 50 games. |
Sky Ace tips
- Use the sights. The near ring shows where your shots are at close range, the far ring where they go in the distance.
- Keep moving. Enemy shots aim at where you are; a steady sideways drift makes most of them miss.
- Watch your back. Some fighters overtake you from behind before they turn and attack.
- Chase the gold. Golden fighters drop power-ups; spread guns make the bosses much easier.
- Fly low for ships. Turrets sit on the deck, so drop down to line up with them; the airship is high in the sky.
- Bomb on green. Wait until the ring on the water turns green, then drop: the bomb lands right on the ship.
- Take the big target first. The bridge, tower or radar is worth 1,000 points and fires the most.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sky Ace free?
Yes. Sky Ace is completely free to play online, with no sign-up, no download and no in-app purchases. It runs in your browser on computers, tablets and phones, and your records and badges are saved on your device.
Is Sky Ace like Sky Destroyer?
Yes, Sky Ace is a Sky Destroyer-style flight shooter: like the 1985 Famicom classic, you see your plane from behind, shoot down waves of enemy planes over the ocean and attack a big target at the end of every scene, from dawn to night. It has its own 3D vector graphics, music, enemies, bosses and modes. Sky Destroyer is a trademark of Taito; Sky Ace is an independent game and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Taito.
How do I play Sky Ace?
Steer your plane and fire straight ahead. Enemy fighters, aces and bombers attack in waves; shoot them down and dodge their shots. When the waves are over, a battleship, island fortress, carrier or airship appears: destroy all of its glowing targets before the timer runs out to clear the scene and earn a bonus.
What are the controls?
Steer with the arrow keys or W A S D, fire with Space (J, K or Z work too) and drop bombs with B, X or Shift. With the mouse, the plane flies towards the pointer; hold the left button to fire and the right button to bomb. Esc or P pauses. On a phone or tablet, use the on-screen joystick to steer and hold FIRE or BOMB; you can swap the sides in Settings.
How do I bomb ships?
Convoys of patrol boats, cargo ships and destroyers sail on the sea below you, and only bombs can sink them. Press B, X or Shift, click the right mouse button, or tap BOMB. Bombs are thrown forward and fall in an arc; a ring on the water shows where the next bomb will land and turns green when it will hit a ship, so drop it then. Patrol boats sink with one bomb, cargo ships and destroyers need two. Bombs also smash the turrets and guns on the bosses' decks.
What does "1 Loop + 1 Scene" mean?
Six scenes make one loop of Sky Ace: Dawn Patrol, Morning Raid, High Noon, Cloud Sea, Sunset Strike and Moonlight Run. The 1 Loop + 1 Scene mission is the marathon run: you fly the whole loop and then the first scene of the second loop, where the enemies are faster and fiercer. Finish quickly for a time bonus of up to 12,000 points.
Which enemies are there?
Fighters (100 points) come in formations, cross your path or overtake you from behind. Aces (200 points) corkscrew towards you and need two hits. Bombers (300 points) are big, take several hits and fire bursts of shots. Every eighth fighter is golden: shoot it to drop a power-up.
What are the bosses?
Each scene ends with a big target: the Ironclad Battleship, the Island Fortress, the Pirate Carrier (which launches fighters), the Sky Fortress Airship, the Dreadnought and the Mega Dreadnought. Every turret, gun and engine is a target worth 500 points, and the bridge, tower or radar is worth 1,000. Destroy them all for a 3,000 point bonus, plus 1,000 more if you lost no life in the scene.
What do the power-ups do?
P powers up your guns: first rapid fire, then spread guns. S gives you a shield that takes one hit for up to 12 seconds. Each power-up is also worth 500 points, and you earn an extra life every 40,000 points. Losing a life costs one gun level.
Does Sky Ace have a leaderboard?
Yes. Sky Ace has one free leaderboard with two lists, This month and All time, showing each pilot's best score. Scores from 1 Loop + 1 Scene, Endless and the Daily sortie all count. You only choose a nickname if you want to join.
What is Journey mode?
Journey is a map campaign. Pick a stop on the island map, fly that scene and destroy its boss to unlock the next stop. There are 12 stops from Coral Bay to the Skull Fortress, each with up to three stars: one for clearing it, one for the bonus goal (sink ships or shoot down planes) and one for finishing without losing a life. Your stars are saved on this device.
What is the Daily sortie?
Three scenes chosen for the day, with the same enemy waves for every player. It is a quick game of a few minutes, and it changes every day.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Sky Ace works in portrait and landscape on phones and tablets with an on-screen joystick and FIRE button; landscape gives you the widest view of the sky. If your phone struggles, turn on Low detail in Settings.
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